


Not Everybody Leaves

by GMRivers



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel messed up, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Heartache, Heartbreak, Protective Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 23:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15254058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GMRivers/pseuds/GMRivers
Summary: Eleanor, a hunter, has been dating Castiel for a little while, but what happens when Castiel suddenly dissappears? With no clue as to what had happened to him, she worries for his safety. However, he doesn't seem to realize how keenly she felt his absence. Sam steps up to offer comfort.





	Not Everybody Leaves

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I wrote this little thing almost three years ago, so I don't think it will hold up to any expectations you may have, as I certainly hope I've gotten better at writing in the last few years, but I realized that though I had shared it on FFN I hadn't shared it with you here at AO3, so, here it is.

**Not Everybody Leaves  
(Supernatural One-Shot)**

Eleanor had been dating Castiel for nearly a year. He could be really sweet sometimes, but other times he was just undeniably alien. Eleanor, as a hunter, understood the danger she was in by dating an angel. She also understood that he might have important emergencies and she knew just how much he cared for the Winchester brothers, she cared for them too and was actually glad that Castiel helped them. She never asked him to choose, she never told him to forget the brothers, she never screamed at him when he came back hurt and exhausted. She helped him and cared for him, and he did the same. She never tried to stop him from fullfilling his duty, but she asked for one thing in return. The only thing she ever asked from him was that whenever he left, he let her know he was okay.

Then, one night she went to sleep, and when she woke up, he was gone. She sighed, but a small smile stayed on her face as she thought of her angel saving so many people and helping others, trying to save the human race when so many others thought it was a lost cause. She went through her day as any other day, looking for a small job to do while he was away.

Three days passed. Eleanor frowned as she realized he would have normally already sent a message by now. She shook her head. It was probably nothing. She grabbed her weapons and headed out for her next hunt.

Castiel had been gone for a week. She was getting worried. What if something had happened to him? She prayed silently to him, to send a message, to at least tell her he was safe. He never answered. She closed her eyes hoping that wherever he was, he was safe.

Another week went by. Eleanor had hunted down more monsters and ghosts in the past week than she had in the last month. Any job was a welcome distraction. As far as she knew he could be dead. She had prayed to him every night, yet there was no answer. She didn't know what was worrying her more, that he couldn't hear her, or that he had and chose not to answer. She finally made up her mind, she was going to call the Winchesters.

"Hello?" Eleanor sighed, relieved that at least someone would answer her.

"Hey Sam."

"Eleanor? What's up? We haven't seen you since that hunt with the vampires." Sam said though halfway through his sentence she faintly heard Dean in the background asking if she was okay. She rolled her eyes, he always assumed something was wrong as soon as she called.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"What is it? Are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

"Have you seen Cas in the past few few days?"

"Uh... No, we haven't seen him in a few weeks."

"Are you sure? Has he contacted you for anything?"

"I don't think so, at least not me," His voice sounded farther away as he asked Dean if he had heard anything from the angel. "Dean hasn't seen him either."

She sighed in defeat, "Okay, thanks anyway."

"Ellie, is something wrong?"

"Don't worry Sam, Cas left a few days ago and I haven't heard from him, I guess I was just worried."

"Okay, if you're sure, take care."

"You too, don't get yourselves killed okay?"

"No promises."

"Sam..."

"Alright, I'll try, I promise."

"And keep Dean out of trouble."

"I don't think that's possible. Sometimes Dean can be the stupidest masn on earth." They both laughed as a faint  _Hey!_  came from Sam's side.

"See you later Sammy."

"Goodbye Ellie." He said, ignoring Dean's cry of ' _How come she gets to call you that and I don't?_ _'_

She hung up and looked at her laptop, maybe after she finished the next job she'd get news.

* * *

Eleanor buried her face in her hands. A month. It's been over a month since she last heard of Cas. She had wished and hoped and at one point even cried, sitting in her bed, praying silently for him to be alright, until three days ago. Three days ago was Eleanor's birthday. That's when she stopped praying. She looked at her phone as she got a message from Dean. Apparently he had finally seen Castiel, but he hadn't stayed for long. Her heart lifted a bit, knowing he was alive, but a bit of hurt still lingered as she realized he had made no attempt to contact her yet.

A week later, Dean texted, apparently Cas was looking for something, though he wouldn't say what. He had visited the brothers a few times, checking on them, but then he'd leave. It seemed that Sam had tried giving Cas a small push towards her, but the angel was oblivious. She sighed and texted back,  _Thanks Dean._

Time passed, she buried herself into her job, and nearly two weeks after that she woke up in the middle of the night to a familiar rustle. An angel was near. She stood slowly and walked silently to her living room, an angel blade gripped firmly in her hand. However, her silence was in vain as she let out a small gasp when she saw whothe intruder was. Castiel was in the living room, one of her secret compartments open and an ancient emerald amulet between his fingers.

He turned towards her and said, "I need to take this." Before standing to leave again, just pausing as he heard her sharp intake of air.

She turned away from him and stared at the floor in a flurry of emotions. "Don't you dare." She said, her voice trembling slightly.

"What do you mean?" The angel asked, his deep voice confused.

"You were gone for weeks Castiel, and you can't even send a message?" She asked incredulous.

"I was busy." He said casually, not seeing the problem.

She turned around slowly and stared at him.

When she turned to look at him, Castiel frowned, she was pale and looked exhausted, the twinkle that used to be in her eyes whenever she spoke to him was hidden. Several scratches and bruises were scattered accross her arms, neck and face, the product of many reckless hunts.

"Eleanor?" He said tentatively.

Suddenly, all of the memories came back to her.

When they first met, their first kiss, when he finally asked her out using one of Dean's terrible pickup lines, when they cuddled and watched a movie together, trying to explain why logic and science had no consequence when it came to Disney magic. When he'd tell her about his brothers up in heaven, when they helped each other when the other came back from a hunt.

She felt so relieved that he was alive and fine that she almost ran towards him to jump into his arms, but with the good memories, also came the bad.

The countless arguments, when he would come back a mess and refused to tell her what happened, when he just couldn't see that all she ever wanted was him, every time he would leave without saying goodbye and she'd worry all night only for him to return as if he hadn't left at all, the times when he wouldn't even talk to her, it was all too much.

She understood why he needed to help the Winchesters, she understood that he had duties with heaven, she understood that emotions weren't his thing, but leaving for so long and just come back to grab something in the middle of the night, taking time to visit the brothers but not send a single message... That, she didn't understand.

She watched as he took a step towards her and instinctively took a step back.

"Eleanor?" He asked confused.

"Don't." She snapped, ignoring the hurt look in his eyes.

"Don't what?" He said.

"Don't just come back and pretend that nothing happened!"

"Nothing has happened." He said as-a-matter-of-factly.

She groaned in frustration and her eyes began to well up. Eleanor crossed the room in three big steps, punched him with a resounding crack and said, "That's for my birthday."

She turned around and stormed out as he called after her, but she just ignored him. Once in her room, she slammed the door and locked it, even if sheknew Cas could just zap in. But he wouldn't, because he knew that if he did, she would just ignore him further.

He knocked and called her name as she slid down the door, "Just fucking leave already, Castiel!"

The knocking stopped suddenly, and she could just imagine his kicked-puppy face. She thought that maybe he had given up, but only a minute had gone by when the arguments started.

Each of them, from their own side of the door, said the wrong things. The thing is, Eleanor thought that maybe this problem could be fixed too, until he brought up her family.

She snapped. She lashed out, cried and shouted, she cursed his existence. Yet, he did much worse. She expected him to lash out, but she never thought he could be like that.

When they first met, it was because Castiel saved her from a demon ambush... There had been way more than she had expected, and she had no backup. Her compannion had already been killed and she was injured. The demons captures her and tortured her, they kept her in a damp, dark place, with nobody near to hear her screams. That was when Cas arrived and smited the demons before he zapped her to Bobby's and healed her. Castiel brought it up and said, "Maybe I shouldn't have found you."

In that moment, she knew their relationship was beyond repair. She lifted her hand and didn't even think about it before she slammed it on what she had been working on while they argued: an angel banishing sigil.

As soon as he was gone, Eleanor quickly packed her most important belongings and some clothes, rushing out of the apartment she shar-  _used_  to share with Castiel.

She drove away and threw her necklace out of the window. Because of the enochian that was carved on her ribs, the necklace was the only way for Castiel to find her, now he wouldn't be able to.

As she reached the bunker, she grabbed her bags and headed to the entrance, hoping that Sam or Dean were in. She often went on hunts with them, they were like brothers to her. Apart from Cas, they were everything she had.

Sam opened the door cautiously, a knife hidden behind his back, but when he saw Eleanor, his eyes widened and he immediately left the fighting stance.

The thing is she may cry when alone, but hardly anyone had ever seen her cry, she didn't like showing weakness. Even after all the hunts and wounds, Sam Winchester had only seen her cry once in the two years he had known you. The night her sister died.

"Ellie?!" He asked worriedly, "What happened?! Wh- Are you- Is it Cas? Did he speak to you?" He said.

She chuckled bitterly, "Castiel should learn to shut up."

Suddenly, realization seemed to dawn on Sam as his brow furrowed, his face hardened and the overprotective side of him came out, "That son of a bitch..." he muttered.

"Can I just stay here for a while? I understand if you don't want me here, it's just..."

"What are you talking about? Of course we want you here!"

"W-what about Dean?" She asked.

Sam sent her a stern look, "Ellie, look at me, Dean loves you like a sister, he'll be okay with this. Hell! He'll probably beat up Cas!"

She smiled slightly, "I punched him."

Sam chuckled, "Of course you did... "

She gave him a grateful glance and went to sit on the couch.

Sam looked at her as she just stared at the book-covered wall, unmoving. She had been like that for almost an hour, not even moving to wipe an occasional tear that would sometimes escape her walls. He hated seeing her like this, and he hated Cas even more for causing it. Sam had had a crush on Eleanor at the beginning, but after a while he realized she was more of a little sister to him.

Now, here she was, the worst he had seen her since her sister died, all because of Cas.

He sat down next to her on the couch and hugged her. She immediately responded by holding him tight, as if afraid that he would leave her too. It broke his heart. She was never like this, she was usually the strongest out of their little team, the only one who always kept her head.

"Ellie?" He whispered softly, "What happened?"

She was quiet for a few seconds, Sam thought she wouldn't answer until she said barely strong enough for him to hear, "He said maybe he shouldn't have saved me..."

Sam was shocked at the least. He never thought Cas would be capable of telling her that, especially after vanishing with no trace for a whole month.

What came next, he didn't think he was supposed to hear, as he had to strain his hearing to even understand what she said, "Maybe he's right." she whispered, voicing the one thing that had always hunted her when she thought of her sister. Maybe it was her fault. Maybe she deserved to die.

Sam had hurt and conflict written all over his face as he said "How can you say that?"

"I'm an accident, my own mother told me. Because of me, my family's dead, and now I just ruined the only serious relationship that I've had since... you know. I'm not worth it." She said, her voice soft and weak.

She turned to look at Sam and asked him, "Everybody leaves. Why haven't you left me yet, Sam?", before quickly turning her gaze down, not wanting to look him in the eye as he answered.

"Because I know what it's like, and I'd never let you feel like that..." He whispered as he lowered his gaze.

She looked at him in slight shock, shaking her head. "Why?"

Sam shook his head in disbelief, "Why?" he said, placing his arm around her, "Because you're my family, Ellie, and that's what family is for."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope it didn't make you want to cringe too much. Please tell me what you think with that lovely little button down there that says "comment".


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